Electronic distribution of information has gained in importance with the proliferation of personal computers and has undergone a tremendous upsurge in popularity as the Internet has become widely available. With the widespread use of the Internet, it has become possible to distribute large, coherent units of information, such as books, using electronic technologies. Books distributed using electronic technologies are commonly referred to as electronic books (“e-books”). Various entities make e-books available for download over ordinary Internet connections, such as broadband and dialup connections.
E-readers (“e-readers”) attempt to mimic the experience of reading a conventional paper book through display of electronic information on one or more electronic displays. A typical e-reader is a handheld digital device having a liquid crystal display panel and enough memory and processing capability to store several e-books. Such a device is capable of retrieving and displaying an e-book or portion of an e-book for reading.
There are some advantages to using an e-reader over conventional paper books. An e-reader is often capable of storing a number of complete unabridged e-books. Therefore, an e-book reader containing a number of stored e-books weighs significantly less than the same number of paper books. This makes an e-book reader a particularly attractive alternative to paper books for travel, educational purposes, and professional business use. Also, because e-books do not require the use of paper products, they are generally offered at a lower price than their paper book counterparts. Furthermore, the use of e-readers in conjunction with e-books may be beneficial to the ecosystem, by reducing a number of books produced using paper products.